


pumpkin patch

by memitims



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Halloween, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-27
Updated: 2014-09-27
Packaged: 2018-02-18 22:30:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2364377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/memitims/pseuds/memitims
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>ian takes liam to pick out a pumpkin to carve for halloween.</p>
            </blockquote>





	pumpkin patch

**Author's Note:**

> this has a weird timeline idk. liam is older than he is in s5 and ian's going to college somewhere nearby and he met mandy there, not in high school. also idk why mickey is @ a pumpkin patch, just roll with it, okay?
> 
> based on [this](http://caswitch.tumblr.com/post/98336463652/aus-that-need-to-happen-autumn-edition-i-got) post ('met at a pumpkin patch fighting over the same perfectly round and picturesque pumpkin au')

Ian was slumped over the kitchen table, trying to focus on his boring psychology homework, when Liam burst into the kitchen, giggling about something. Ian looked up at his little brother, not bothering to suppress the smile that came over his face when he saw the huge one on Liam’s face. Liam ran up to him and tugged on his sleeve, shoving a picture book in front of Ian’s nose.

“Yes, buddy?”

Liam opened up the book and pointed to one of the pages. “Look at the pumpkins.”

It was one of those Halloween books for kids, filled with ghost costumes and candy and witches on broomsticks, and Liam was pointing to the page filled with jack-o-lanterns. The line of pumpkins grinned up at them, their goofy faces making Liam laugh.

Ian had an idea.

“Wanna go to the pumpkin patch, Liam?” he asked.

Liam nodded vigorously. He shut the book and dropped it on the table. His eyes caught on Ian’s papers strewn out in front of him, though, and he frowned. “But what about your homework?”

Ian smiled. “It can wait. C’mon. Let’s go pick out a pumpkin. Get your jacket and gloves.”

Liam raced to the closet and started pulling on his jacket, digging through the Gallagher’s basket of mismatched winter gloves until he found a pair that was small enough for his hands. He grabbed a big pair and threw them behind him at Ian. Ian caught them and slipped them on, before grabbing his bright jacket from the back of the chair and pulling it over his shoulders.

“Ready?” he asked.

Liam nodded. “Ready.”

Ian took two CTA bus passes from their stash and shoved them into his pocket. He knew there was a farm out towards Orland Park, Fiona had taken him and Lip there once, when they were kids. He checked the bus schedule quickly, figured out that they had to make two transfers, and then led Liam out the door towards the bus stop.

\---

It was a cold but sunny October day, and Ian pulled his jacket tighter around himself when they stepped onto the farm, the wind blowing his hair in all directions. Liam shivered.

“Warm enough, dude?”

Liam shrugged, playing with the fraying edge of one of his sleeves. “I think I need a new jacket. This one’s kinda thin.” He said it quietly, letting go of his sleeve and shoving his hands in his pockets, and Ian knew what that was like – to need new clothes and to not know how to ask for them, to not know if they even had enough to buy them right now, he’d been so fucking sick of hand-me-downs as a kid and he hated that Liam had to go through that too – so he put a hand on Liam’s shoulder and squeezed gently.

“We’ll figure something out, okay?” he promised, smiling reassuringly down at his little brother. Liam nodded and knocked his head against Ian’s arm.

“Thanks.”

They made their way towards the pumpkins, ignoring the small stand selling apple cider and corn on the cob in favor of the field dotted in orange. Ian and Liam looked at each other, silently agreeing to stick together and find the best pumpkin possible. If they were gonna pay for it, Ian figured, they were gonna find a nice fucking pumpkin. The ones of the outer edge of the field were gross, some half-smashed, others weird shades of brown and green, and most of them ugly and misshapen.

Ian kept his eyes trained on the ground, carefully evaluating each promising-looking pumpkin they came across, ticking off the list of ideal pumpkin characteristics in his head – perfectly round, bright orange, long stem, ripe and not rotten, medium-sized – but none of the ones he came across fit everything on the list. Some of them came close, but he and Liam weren’t gonna settle for some second-rate pumpkin. It had to be perfect.

“How about that one?” Liam asked, pointing a few feet in front of them. Ian squinted at the pumpkin and they moved closer to get a better look. He was deeming it nearly perfect in his head, when a guy bent down and grabbed it.

“Hey!” Ian called. “That’s our pumpkin.”

The guy looked up and Ian’s heart dropped. He was staring down his best friend’s brother, probably the baddest guy on the entire South Side, in the middle of a fucking pumpkin patch.

“Holy shit. Mickey?”  
“It’s my pumpkin,” Mickey said, adjusting the dark blue scarf that was wrapped around his neck. “I was here first. Who the hell are you?”

Ian narrowed his eyes. He hung out at Mandy’s house all the time, there was no way Mickey didn’t recognize him. Not like Mickey paid any attention to him when he was there, but they’d definitely had a few vague conversations while Mandy was heating up leftovers for their afternoon snack. The conversations had mostly consisted of Ian asking Mickey questions, getting a few grunts for answers, and trying his best not to stare into Mickey’s eyes for too long. He had nice blue ones that Ian had no business fantasizing about.

“Ian Gallagher. This is my little brother, Liam.” Liam waved at Mickey, looking slightly startled by the whole exchange. Ian could understand. Mickey  _was_  intimidating.

“Oh, yeah.” Realization dawned over Mickey’s face. “You’re the annoying redhead that’s always hanging around Mandy.  _Christ_ , she never stops talking about you. You two in love or something?”

Ian blushed. “She’s not really my type,” he said, quietly.

Liam was a lot less subtle. “Ian’s gay,” he announced, causing Mickey’s eyebrows to shoot up into his hairline. Ian realized it probably wasn’t the best idea to go telling shit like that to the neighborhood thug, but he’d never really had any self-preservation instincts. Plus, it wasn’t like he was scared of Mickey or anything. The guy was at least three inches shorter than him.

“Oh,” Mickey said, shifting uncomfortably on his feet, still cradling the pumpkin in his arms. “Cool. I guess.” Ian was pretty sure he was trying to come off as casual, but Mickey’s voice was strained. He shrugged it off. Ian didn’t need this guy’s fucking tolerance or acceptance or whatever.

“Still my pumpkin,” Mickey added.

Ian crossed his arms over his chest. “No fucking way. We saw it first.”

“Yeah!” Liam agreed. Ian watched Mickey’s eyes flicker down to his little brother and soften a little at the look on Liam’s face. Ian secretly hoped that he was susceptible to the charm of little kids. Probably not, but it was worth a shot.

“Too late,” Mickey said firmly. “I got here first.”

“C’mon,” Ian whined. “My brother just wants to carve a nice fucking pumpkin. Let him have it.”  
Mickey shook his head and waved his arm towards the rest of the field. “Plenty of other nice pumpkins out there.”

“But I want that one,” Liam said, sadly, pointing at Mickey’s hands. Mickey looked down at Liam again, thoughtfully running a hand over his lower lip.

“Please,” Ian pleaded. He took a step towards Mickey, lowering his voice. “Put it down.”

“Oh, yeah?” Mickey asked, also taking a step forward. They were close enough now that Ian could see the pale freckles running over Mickey’s face, lit up in the bright sunshine. Ian tried not to look at them. “Make me, big guy.”

Ian raised his eyebrows at the challenge. He stepped even closer, not sure exactly what the plan was, but he figured that using his height advantage had to be somewhat intimidating. They stared each other down, Mickey’s hands tightening around the pumpkin, before Liam darted forward and got into the narrow space between them, pushing the two of them apart.

“It’s okay, Ian,” Liam declared. “Please don’t kill him.”

Mickey laughed. “You thought  _he_  was gonna kill me? I’d take his skinny ass any day.”

“Okay. If you say so,” Liam said, clearly not convinced. Ian laughed to himself. Liam turned to him and pointed towards a patch of pumpkins behind them. “Let’s go find an even better one.”

Ian smirked at Mickey. “Care to help? Since you so graciously stole our first one.”

“Fine,” Mickey grumbled.

Ian decided to push his luck. “We’re gonna carve ours after this at home, if you wanna come. Or don’t. Whatever.”

“Whatever,” he echoed, and Ian pretended not to see a small smile light up Mickey’s face.

**Author's Note:**

> there will be more i promise


End file.
